Chp 7.

Hydrogen
Grade 8
Question 1.
State how hydrogen occurs in the free state. Name three compounds containing
hydrogen in the combined state.
Answer 1:

● In free state : Hydrogen occurs in the earth’s crust, atmosphere and in volcanic
gases, also in the interior of the sun in the free state.
● In combined state : In combined state it occurs in organic compounds, plants and
animals, in acids and in water.

Question 2.
Starting from zinc how would you obtain hydrogen using
(a) Steam
(b) A dilute acid
(c) An alkali
[ Give balanced equations for each & name the product formed in each case other than
hydrogen]. Name a metal which will not react with the reactants above to give hydrogen.
Answer
To obtain hydrogen using :
Answer 2:
(a) Steam : Metals which are more reactive than hydrogen like Zn, Fe, Pb react with
steam and form oxide

Metals below [H] do not react even with steam. Metal are Cu, Hg, Ag, Pt and Au.
(b) With dil. acids : Metals which are more reactive than hydrogen like Zn, Fe and Pb
react and form corresponding salt.
Cu and metals below Cu do not react with dil. acids.
(c) An alkali : Zn, Pb reacts with concentrated alkali to form metallic salts and release
hydrogen on boiling..

Question 3.
‘Hydrogen is obtained by electrolysis of acidified water’. Answer the following pertaining
to the preparation of hydrogen by electrolysis,
(a) The meaning of the term ‘electrolysis’ and ‘electrolyte’,
(b) Name the electrode –

1. through which the current enters the electrolyte.

Answer 3:
(a)
Electrolysis : “Electrolysis is the dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas
when electric current is passed through it..”

Electrolyte : “Electrolyte is a chemical compound in solution state which conducts

Question 4.
In the laboratory preparation of hydrogen from zinc & dilute hydrochloric acid – state a
reason for
(a) Addition of traces of copper [II] sulphate to the reaction medium
(b) Collecting the hydrogen by downward displacement of water and not air & collecting
it after all the air in the apparatus is allowed to escape
(c) Having the end of the thistle funnel dip below the level of the acid in the flask.
Answer 4:
(a) It acts as a catalyst and increases the rate at which reaction is performed.
(b) Hydrogen is soluble in water and lighter than air.
(c) To stop the gas from escaping.

Question 6.
State the following pertaining to the physical properties of hydrogen
(a) Colour & odour
(b) Solubility in water
(c) Effect on moist blue litmus paper
Answer6:
(a) Colourless & odourless
(b) Slightly soluble
(c) No - effect

Question 7.
Draw neat labelled diagrams for two experiments to prove that hydrogen is lighter than
air.
Answer7:
1. Two balloons ‘A’ and ‘B’ were taken. Balloon A was filled with hydrogen gas and
balloon B was filled with air and both of them were tied to the either side of a
weighing scale. It was observed that the weighing scale tilted to the side where
balloon B was tied.

This experiment shows that hydrogen is lighter than air.

2. Air in Jar is heavier hence it runs down in Jar A and Hydrogen runs to Jar B because
it is lighter. It burns with a pop sound when a burning splinter is brought there.
Question 8.
Starting from hydrogen gas how would you obtain
(a) A neutral liquid
(b) A basic gas
(c) A metal by reduction of its heated oxide.
[The metal formed is above iron in the activity series]
Answer 8:
(a) Hydrogen reacts quietly with oxygen to form water which is a neutral liquid
2H2 + O2 → 2H20
(b) Ammonia is a basic gas produced when 3 volumes of H2 react with 1 volume of N2
gas in presence of Fe which acts as a catalyst

(c) Reduction of Fe2O3on heating to iron.

Question 9.
Using a burning candle and a jar of hydrogen – how would you prove experimentally
that (a) Hydrogen is a combustible gas (b) Hydrogen does not support combustion.
Answer 9:
(a) Hydrogen gas is combustible and bums at the opening of the gas jar.
 (b) Hydrogen extinguishes the candle when pushed inside the jar.

Question 10.
State a reason why, when hydrogen is passed over heated copper oxide, the resultant
product formed, differs in colour from the original reactant.
Answer 10:

Hydrogen removes oxygen from copper oxide and reduces it to metal which is reddish
brown in color.
Question 11.
With reference to the uses of hydrogen, give reasons for the following :
(a) Hydrogen is not used in air balloons
(b) A mixture of hydrogen & oxygen on burning, find application in welding & cutting
metals
(c) Reaction of hydrogen with nitrogen under specific conditions finds industrial utility.
Answer 11:
(a) It is highly inflammable, for safety reasons it is not used in air balloons.
(b) Oxygen and hydrogen burn and produce high temperatures upto 2800°C and are
used for welding and cutting metals.
(c) Ammonia is a basic gas produced when 3 volumes of H2 react with 1 volume of N2
gas in presence of Fe which acts as a catalyst applications in fertilizers and nitric acid
and explosives.

Question 12.
Give a test to differentiate between two gas jars – one containing pure hydrogen and
the other hydrogen-air mixture.
Answer 12:
In the jar with pure hydrogen, Hydrogen burns with a pale blue flame quietly, when a
burning splinter is brought near the jar.
Hydrogen and air burn explosively.

Question 13.
With reference to oxidation & reduction reaction – complete the statement given by
filling in the blanks with only the words (a) Addition (b) Removal.
‘Oxidation is a chemical reaction involving ____ of oxygen to a substance or ____ of
hydrogen from a substance. Reduction on the other hand involves ____ of hydrogen to
a substance or ____ of oxygen from a substance.
Answer 13:
‘‘Oxidation is a chemical reaction involving –addition of oxygen to a substance or
removal of hydrogen from a substance. Reduction on the other hand involves addition
of hydrogen to a substance or removal of oxygen from a substance.

Question 14.
With reference to the equation :
Cl2 + H2S → 2HCl + S
pertaining to a redox reaction – select the correct answer in each case –
(a) Chlorine is oxidized/reduced to HCl.
(b) Hydrogen sulphide is oxidised/reduced to sulphur since the reaction involves
addition/removal of hydrogen.
(c) Chlorine acts as an oxidising/reducing agent.
Answer 14:

Question-.1.
Give balanced equations for the following conversions :
1. Zinc to sodium zincate – using an alkali.
2. Acidic water to hydrogen – by electrolysis.
3. Water gas to hydrogen – industrially
4. Iron [[III]] oxide to iron – using hydrogen.
5. Nitrogen to a basic gas – using hydrogen.
Answer-1

(1)

(2)

(3)

CO2​ is removed from the mixture, when this mixture is passed through KOH (caustic
potash), residual gas left is hydrogen

(4)
(5)

Question-.2.
Give reasons for the following :
1. Copper does not displace hydrogen from dilute hydrochloric acid, but zinc does.
2. In the preparation of hydrogen by electrolysis of water – the distilled water used
is acidified.
3. In the laboratory preparation of hydrogen from zinc and dilute hydrochloric acid –
the zinc used granulated zinc.
4. In the Bosch process – the final gaseous products are passed through caustic
potash [[KOH]] solution.
5. The reaction of chlorine with hydrogen sulphide is deemed a redox reaction.
Answer-2
1. In displacement reaction, more reactive metal displaces less reactive metal.
Since, zinc is more reactive than hydrogen it displaces hydrogen in dilute
hydrochloric acid and copper is less reactive than hydrogen and hence cannot
displace hydrogen in dilute hydrochloric acid.
2. Pure and distilled water is a bad conductor of electricity and hence doesn’t form
H+ ions, to increase this number, distilled water is acidified and makes a good
conductor of electricity.
3. Impurities in granulated zinc act as a catalyst and speed up the production of
hydrogen.
4. It is done to separate hydrogen from the mixture, such that CO2 dissolves in
water and hydrogen is left as a residue.
5. Chlorine gets reduced to HCl and H2S is oxidised, hence it is a redox reaction.